Real Madrid winger Gareth Bale has expressed disappointment over the sacking of Rafael Benitez as a manager, saying that it was really sad to see him go. "I had a very good relationship with Rafa, obviously it was a big disappointment to see him go," Bale was quoted as saying by goal.com. Benitez was replaced by former French great Zinedine Zidane after just seven months in charge due to club's recent slump in form in the La Liga. Zidane's appointment seemed to be in favour of Real as they thrashed Deportivo La Coruna 5-0 in La Liga match.
The Spanish champions will seek a notable league and European double when they take on Olympique Marseille in the UEFA Cup final.
Samuel Eto'o did the star turn as Real Mallorca beat Real Madrid 3-2 in the Primera Liga.
The Spanish club have the possibility of a first domestic and European double when they face Villarreal in the UEFA Cup semi-final.
Portugal footballer Cristiano Ronaldo could leave Real Madrid this summer, after reportedly being miffed over club president Florentino Perez's growing closeness with teammate Gareth Bale.
They joined Valencia and Stuttgart on top of their respective divisions after weekend action in Europe's main leagues.
The victory sent Valencia to the top of the Spanish league.
Leicester City's traumatic week ended with a 1-0 win at Cardiff City although the result was never the chief concern on a day when the tributes flowed for the Midlands club's late owner Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha who died in a helicopter crash.
Zinedine Zidane's appointment as Real Madrid coach in place of Rafa Benitez has handed the club's former France great his chance to follow up a stellar career on the pitch with management success at the highest level.
World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has broken several months of near-silence to rebuff media reports he is unhappy at Real Madrid and might be seeking an exit.
Rafael Benitez is well-known for his 'Rafa rants' and his latest tirade against employers Chelsea could further damage his reputation and chances of finding another job.
DeAndre Yedlin has joined Championship (second tier) side Newcastle United on a five-year deal from Tottenham Hotspur for an undisclosed fee, the clubs have announced.
Under-fire Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has been priced odds-on to be the first Premier League manager to leave his job this season.
La Liga leaders Real Madrid cruised to a 4-0 home win over relegation-threatened Celta Vigo on Sunday to restore their seven-point lead at the top of the table with a dominant display.
According to a report in as.com, speaking at a Madrid fans' meeting on Saturday, De Bla said: "Carlo Ancelotti is a phenomenon. We're eternally grateful to him. For me, up to three days ago he was the best coach in the world, as was Jose Mourinho a couple of years ago and as of next week it will be Rafa Bentez."
Cristiano Ronaldo has been involved in a new row with Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez, according to reports in the Spanish media. The reports claim that the Portuguese striker was left fuming and walked out of the room after he was asked by Benitez to undergo a biometric analysis in order to improve his free-kick scoring rate.
Portugal defender Pepe is in the last year of his contract with Real Madrid but is keen to prove doubters wrong by signing a new deal with the Spanish club.
Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said on Wednesday he was leaving Stamford Bridge after a decade in which Chelsea were crowned kings of Europe but also suffered plenty of off-field dramas too.
Newcastle coach Bruce offers the England all-rounder centre-half role
Burnley beat Blackburn Rovers 2-0 at Ewood Park in their East Lancashire derby but Premier League sides Southampton and Newcastle United crashed out of the English League Cup to Championship opposition in Wednesday's second-round games.
Guangzhou Evergrande began the defence of their Chinese Super League (CSL) title with a 2-0 victory against Shanghai Shenhua as the delayed 2020 campaign, revamped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, finally kicked off over the weekend.
Real Madrid forward Cristiano Ronaldo gave a ringing endorsement of new coach Zinedine Zidane and handed a rebuke to his sacked predecessor Rafa Benitez after Sunday's 5-1 La Liga victory at home to Sporting Gijon. Real have comfortably won both their matches since Zidane took over this month, a 5-0 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna and Sunday's demolition of lowly Gijon, and Ronaldo said the players had a better relationship with the former Real and France great, who is known as 'Zizou', than with the unpopular Benitez. The former Valencia, Liverpool, Chelsea, Inter Milan and Napoli manager was discarded after less than half a season in the job after an indifferent run of results left Real trailing city rivals Atletico Madrid and champions Barcelona in La Liga. "To be honest, with some coaches you have more empathy than with others," Ronaldo told reporters after netting a double at the Bernabeu. "The truth is, don't ask me why, that the players have more empathy with Zizou," the Portugal forward added.
It will be "immensely difficult" for Real Madrid to improve their squad but they still plan to make more signings in the close season, new coach Rafa Benitez said.
Real Madrid will not seek to boost their squad ahead of their transfer ban, which starts at the end of the month, club president Florentino Perez said on Wednesday. Perez's leadership at Real has been synonymous with glamour signings but the club will be unable to register new players during the next two transfer windows for breaching FIFA rules on signing non-Spanish Under-18 players. "We will not sign players during the winter market but this has nothing to do with the punishment. It is because we have the best players and the best trainer," Perez told France Football.
Napoli have agreed to buy Spain centre back Raul Albiol from Real Madrid, the Serie A club said on Sunday.
Rafa Benitez's much-changed side with a youthful streak had looked set to coast through when Sean Longstaff's deflected shot put them ahead after 56 seconds and Callum Roberts volleyed home a second four years since his only other Newcastle appearance.
Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane shrugged off his first setback since taking over from the sacked Rafa Benitez after his new team could only manage a 1-1 draw at Real Betis in La Liga.
Real Madrid coach Rafa Benitez has been relying on second-string players to get the club through a mini injury crisis but should have several of his heavyweights back when Paris St Germain visit in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has praised Zinedine Zidane for changing the "recent history" of the club as a player and a coach. Promoted from his position as head coach of the club's reserve team to be Rafa Benitez's replacement in January, three-times world player of the year Zidane steered Real to a runners-up finish in La Liga and to their 11th European Cup. "The key element is Zidane," Perez told Marca on Tuesday. "He has changed the recent history of Real Madrid. Since 2001 he has created a way to understand football that has helped us win these European Cups." Zidane was signed as a player in Perez's first term as president and his spectacular volley in the final in Glasgow in 2002 gave Real their ninth European title. The Frenchman was an assistant to head coach Carlo Ancelotti when Real beat Atletico in Lisbon in the 2014 final.
Brighton and Hove Albion's Tomer Hemed grabbed the only goal as they ended Newcastle United's three-match winning streak with a 1-0 victory on Sunday in a battle between two of this season's promoted sides.
Napoli ended Juventus's hopes of securing a record seventh Italian Super Cup after snatching a dramatic 6-5 shootout win.
Everton's Premier League relegation fears deepened considerably as they collapsed to a 5-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur with Harry Kane scoring twice for the rampant hosts on Monday.
'Good football has always been important at this place and I am going to continue that. It has to be offensive football, balanced and nothing else'
ManchesterCity moved up to third in the Premier League on Saturday while Newcastle United boosted their hopes of survival by coming back from two goals down at Liverpool to draw 2-2 and secure a precious point.
Claudio Ranieri's Tinkerman days may be over after he again named an unchanged team but his cautious talk remained, refusing to contemplate the title after Leicester City beat Newcastle United on Monday.
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